


My Name Is The Night, Color Me Black

by HDH0111



Series: All The Gold Sold At The End Of The Rainbow [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Falling In Love, Love, Love Confessions, Marriage, National Women's Soccer League, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, US Women's Soccer National Team, Unhealthy Relationships, Unrequited Love, Women's Professional Soccer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 14:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21495928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HDH0111/pseuds/HDH0111
Summary: In 2017 Hope Solo attends a Together Live event led by Glennon Doyle and her wife Abby Wambach.The former teammates go for a walk and talk about different things, slowly reconnecting after some years apart.It's obvious to Hope that something isn't quite right with Abby but that isn't what she came here for...
Relationships: Hope Solo/Abby Wambach
Series: All The Gold Sold At The End Of The Rainbow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525262
Kudos: 18





	1. What A Scene

**Author's Note:**

> [Hey guys, thanks for stopping by. Please be aware that I'm no native English speaker so some phrases and word constructions might sound odd to you. I hope you still get the meaning though.]
> 
> “I ain't leavin', I ain't leavin' 'less I'm leavin' here with you  
I've been patient while I waited, but I feel it's time to move  
You've been crying, yeah, I've seen you  
Honey, I've been crying too  
If your prayers don't get to Heaven, I'm gon' keep them safe for you”

**Hope’s POV**

“If you need some joy, if you aren’t willing to accept whichever stigma this world has put on you, you have a friend in me and all these wonderful women up here on stage tonight”, Glennon Doyle encouraged the crowd one last time before waiting for the standing ovations to end and walking off of the wide stage with her companions including Abby Wambach, her wife. Hope was cheering and whistling, too, standing amidst the large audience, completely enchanted just like all of them. She hadn’t attended a Together Live event before and regretted it now because the whole energy in the room was overwhelmingly beautiful and selfish in a positive way.

It took about ten minutes of waiting until the famous couple and their guest speakers returned to the stage to take pictures and give autographs. During this event in Seattle in September, they were joined by Luvvie Ajayi, Latham Thomas and Bozoma Saint John; the first two being very successful authors and the last one a marketing officer for William Morris Endeavour. Hope made sure she got all three guests to sign her entrance ticket before she appeared in front of Abby after waiting in line like the well-behaved kid she was. The former forward had a pretty large fanbase and it took all of Solo’s patience to stay in this long ass line but as seeing Wambach’s smile when she came up to her, it was all worth it.

“Here we go, Hope. What the heck are you doing here?”, Abby welcomed her with one of her super tight hugs. To the former goalkeeper it felt like they kind of did a chest bump because the blonde pulled her in so fast. Their embrace was exactly as weird as when they were still playing together. Solo’s hands clung to the top of her opposite’s shoulder blades even though she was quite a bit shorter than the huge forward. Wambach’s arms stayed a lot lower, somewhere on the middle of Hope’s back, not fetching too far so she was able to turn the hug into a comfortable shelter for the shorter goalie.

As they loosened their squeeze, Hope finally replied, “Here we go, Abs. I came to see my favorite butch in action.” Abby’s eyes lightened up, pulling the goalkeeper close once more to kiss her cheek softly. As they let go of each other for good, the tall blonde smoothed her sharp looking undercut’s top hair back and if intentionally or not, her opposite felt slightly tempted by this move. “You missed one”, Hope noticed and tucked the loose strand of hair behind the forward’s ear, seductively touching the very short hair on the side of her head for a brief moment.

“Baby, don’t you want to introduce us?”, Glennon interrupted while grabbing Abby’s hand to pull her away and to get some space between the two former teammates. “Oh, sorry. Yeah, so this is Hope Solo, the goalkeeper who kept America’s sheet clean for more times than anyone can count. And that’s Glennon, my wife. You might know already because she’s been talking for hours on this stage”, Wambach explained, looking back and forth between both of the women who were surrounding her. She didn’t seem too pleased with this situation which wasn’t hard to tell if one had known her for as many years as Hope had. Her eyelids were more closed than usual and Solo thought it seemed like the forward clenched her jaws. She didn’t come to make her friend feel uneasy, so Hope started with the small talk part, “Hey Glennon, it’s very nice to meet you and I loved all of your performances up there. It was truly encouraging and felt like all of us became resilient together. A wonderful experience. Thank you for speaking up for all of us.”

Glennon smiled grateful and replied, “That’s very kind of you to say. We couldn’t do it without all the fans who come and support our causes. It’s so important to get together and voice all of the issues that bug us on a daily basis. We’re not here to keep bowing our heads.” Abby and Hope nodded in agreement, then Wambach addressed her wife, “Honey, I guess those people over there want to talk to you. Don’t leave them hanging.” They parted with a sweet, little kiss and Glenn walked over to the people from the audience who were greeted by her with a big hug.

“Do you mind waiting until I’m done with my fan duty? I’d really like to chat for a bit but I can’t let down the ones who came out here tonight.” _Yeah, this had always been her thing. Putting on a great show. It’s Abby._ Hope gave her a wink, replying with a saddened voice, “Of course. Do what you have to do. I’ll be here.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

Half an hour later, Abby managed to sneak out without Glennon noticing and took Hope with her. They stepped onto Seattle’s streets and almost immediately the few raindrops stopped falling on their heads. For some reason Wambach led them even though she didn’t have the slightest idea about the city. Her opposite was alright with it, simply because she could tell from her mate’s face that she had to clear her head. They wandered the shiny streets for a while, watching the lights’ reflections in the many puddles on the pavement.

They only stopped to get coffee at Starbucks, paid by Abby of course. She wouldn’t have it any other way. “Does your wife know that you’re paying for all your friends?”, Hope joked to kill the silence. Abby handed the goalie her cup with a smirk, then answered promptly, “She doesn’t because I don’t pay for all of my friends.” Solo raised a brow, knowing very well she hit a hot topic. “Means you’re still a closed book to her? I didn’t expect anything less to be honest.” Wambach almost spit out her coffee over this aggressive remark which made Hope laugh. “Damn you, Solo. I hate you and your bitchy comments”, Abs cursed and leaned down to get the liquid off of her shoe. Hope moved one step closer and as her friend came back up, she was startled by how close they were all of a sudden.

“You wouldn’t sneak away from your loving wife for someone you hate”, Solo teased, moving closer until their chests slightly touched even though she had just mentioned Wambach’s marriage. Her expression was intense and focused, staring into Abby’s eyes. _I’m not here to back down and she knows that very well._ The tall woman flinched from Hope, taking a long sip of coffee afterwards to calm herself. “I don’t hate you, that’s correct. You guessed well there”, the forward verified the previous comment and went on roaming the streets nearby, always waiting for Solo to follow closely.

Another five minutes of silence between them which the goalkeeper used to analyze the top class player beside her. Weary eyes, detached smile. A striking signal for how worn out Wambach was from living her life as a heroic athlete, highly renowned public speaker and new mom of three teenagers. Abby sensed her mate’s attempt to evaluate her current state of mind when they locked eyes for some seconds while Solo tried to hide her shrewd look behind the brownish coffee cup. “Don’t look at me that way. It’s scary”, the tall one grumbled, “Tell me how Jerramy is instead of giving me the creeps.”

It didn’t take Hope very long to utter an honest, insensitive response, “We’re taking a break from speaking to each other so you might have to ask him yourself or text him.” Solo kept walking but Abs stopped immediately, her jaw hanging from the disbelief of how directly her opposite answered even though things didn’t seem to go well for her. “You’re taking a break from speaking? How the hell does one do that? You’re not splitting up, are ya?” Actually, the pretty brunette didn’t know how to reply properly to this question that she kept herself from thinking about lately. So, she did the only thing she knew how to do. Solo changed the topic to bring Abby’s awareness to something way more obvious. “I didn’t come to pay you a visit because I became generous over the past years we hadn’t seen one another, Abs. You know me better than that.” Abby smirked but didn’t dig deeper and tried to avoid any engaging replies by wondering, “To get back to my wife, do we need to turn right here or am I lost?” Usually the forward had a good sense of locality, so Hope nodded and drank half of her cup in one gulp to prevent herself from saying anything even dumber than her previous sentences. They walked back making some rather clumsy chitchat to cover the blood dripping from the reopened scars. There was too much history between them to survive even a short meeting without ending up bruised and battered.

Once Solo could already see their destination, where Abby would get back to her good wife, she decided to make a statement her opponent would understand and that didn’t need further discussions, a dare if you will. “You might be able to switch from real love to fake love, from Sarah to Glennon and from retired athlete to making amazing, empowering speeches; but you cannot run from me. There’s no upgrade or downgrade or whatever-grade to make me fade away. I came to listen to you and your wife, but I ended up dripping wet from the panic attacks your voice gave me. Go run and hide with your beautiful family. I’ll find you because the things we do will come and run us down. I promise.”

Before Abby could recover from her shock about the words which had been said, Hope threw her empty coffee cup in a trashcan on the pavement, put her hand on the tall forward’s shoulder for a second and then turned around and disappeared into the warm, glistening Seattle night. She felt how Wambach tried to shout something but no fucking word came out and how she thought about chasing her down but knew it wouldn’t change a single thing. This was their battle and Hope surely had won this round.


	2. I'll Ask Permission For The Wrong To Win

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: DUI / alcoholism (as topic of a monologue)
> 
> “If we keep on drinking we're gon' fall back in love  
So fill it up, fill it up  
We must not be thinking 'cause we can't get enough  
So fill it up, fill it up  
Bartender can you pour some love?”

**Abby’s POV**

The World Cup match between England and the USA was pretty much settled with Alex Morgan’s goal in the 31st minute, even though everyone was on the edge of their seats until the final whistle blew in the 98th. Abby attended the semi-final with her wife and their kids and they enjoyed the exciting atmosphere in the stadium from their amazing seats provided by FIFA. It wasn’t unusual for a former national team player to receive tickets to matches, but Wambach hadn’t gotten used to it yet.

To make the children happy, Abby managed to sneak them into the locker room after the match so they could congratulate their idols of the USWNT in person. She introduced the little ones to most of the players like Ali Krieger, Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara, Megan Rapinoe and many others, then went into the hallway to get herself something to drink. Hardly any people were outside of the locker room because everyone wanted to join in on the celebration that the US team was going to play in the final. This silence felt like a huge relief to the former forward because her heart still ached a bit whenever she met with some of her colleagues which were still active athletes while she had been retired for four years now.

As she grabbed herself a bottle of Gatorade from the vendor nearby, she heard footsteps approaching. They were moving closer with so much anger and confidence that Wambach didn’t have to think twice. “Good evening, Solo”, she said without turning around and took a sip of her drink instead. The steps stopped for a brief moment, followed by a short “Hey, Wambach”, then the door to the locker room was being opened. Obviously Hope had no intention to talk to her former teammate and for whatever reason it bugged Abby. It had been more than nine months since they had met during the Together Live event so it was no surprise Hope had other things on her mind, especially now that she worked as commentator for the World Cup games. _She’s just acting professional while working. That’s what people do._

After another gulp of Gatorade, the tall athlete had pulled herself together well enough to move on and go back inside the locker room to get the kids. They shouldn’t bother the team too long because they deserved their freedom after such a tough game. The room was very crowded but her daughter Tish came over instantly when she saw Abby because there was something on her mind. “Abs, did you see that?” Wambach wasn’t quite sure what the little one was referring to so she asked, “Did I see what?” Tish rolled her eyes at the uncool bonus mum and pulled her through the room by the hands. Tishy stopped in front of Tobin Heath, explaining to Abby, “Tobin and I are best friends now and we took many selfies already but you have to take a proper picture of us pleeeeaaaase!” Wambach smirked and pulled out her iPhone to grant her daughter that cute wish.

“Waaaaaiiiiit! Hope, can you be on the photo too?”, Tish yelled through the locker room even though Solo was passing by closely. She stopped in her tracks immediately and gave the little girl a huge smile. “Alright cutie, let’s take a pic.” The retired goalie sat on the left side of Tish while Tobin took the right one. Abby’s eyes peeked slightly over the phone’s frame to secretly observe Hope acting so innocent and sweet with the kid. She put her arm around the fangirl and met Wambach’s gaze obviously by accident which had made both of them freeze. _Look away now! Don’t do that! Come on!_ Abs lowered the iPhone in her hands and couldn’t stop staring. Her heart ached so much in this moment, she thought she was going to pass out. Suddenly the impatient child yelled, “We’re ready! Take it!” This ended Wambach’s trance and she finally took the photo so this insecure state she was in could end soon. Hope didn’t seem to mind their slightly weird but somehow tender incident because she gave the blonde a wink and went over to Ali Krieger for a chat.

Tish took Abby’s hand and basically pulled her in the direction of Megan Rapinoe who high-fived Ashlyn Harris when the little one asked, “Can I take a picture with you, Mrs. Rapinoe?” Megan smiled at her and agreed instantly, forcing Ash to join them too. Both knelt to lower down to the child’s height and smiled for the picture. “Wait until the lens adjusts to the lights or the pic might be too dark”, Solo’s voice came out of nowhere and it became very clear, that she stood right behind Abby, “Or you tap on the screen to make it refocus. Like that.” Her hand came up close to Abs’ face and quickly readjusted the mobile’s settings. Abby took a very deep breath but managed to take the picture without any other interruptions that made her knees buckle. Afterwards Abby got Chace, Tish and Amma, then hurried out of the locker room after not much chitchat because she didn’t want to stay around Solo any longer. There was something about this woman that drove Wambach wild and she didn’t mean to force any weird things to happen. Luckily, the children hadn’t noticed her odd behavior and when they picked up Glennon everything had shifted back to normal again.  
___________________________________

_Later that evening in the VIP-lounge of Abby’s hotel in Lyon, France_

It was a good night this time. Wambach only had to sign very few autographs and was barely recognized by the other people around. Most of them were dancing and enjoying themselves without any interest in the ongoing World Cup or soccer in general. The VIP part of the hotel was strictly for residents who were willing to pay extra cash to have their privacy. She was fine with adding to the bill as long as it kept the paparazzi out just like most of the fans. Well, actually she loved attention but only at daytime because nighttime was reserved for connecting with herself after the daily struggles.

This routine kept her from going crazy and it had worked very well since her DUI scandal three years ago. Too many people advised her to give up alcohol completely after this unfortunate event and told her how sobriety would be the only way to fix her wrecked life. She didn’t agree, obviously. The real problem wasn’t the alcohol or the prescription drugs she took way too often but much rather that she saw those as the only way to get away from loneliness and feel alive. No beer can, bottle of wine, single-malt whiskey or intoxicant of any kind is an enemy or causes problems like addiction simply by being available. What causes the trouble are the people using all those things without care or with no intention to do one at a time. Not many agreed with her idea but that was alright, she didn’t need any approval. _Nobody should need anyone’s permission. It’s my life and I can choose to act carefully and still do it my way._

“Good evening, champ”, she heard the barkeeper say and looked up to see who’d join her at the bar this close to midnight. _Come on, give me a break!_ Of course it was her favorite frenemy Mrs. Hope Solo taking a seat at the other end of the counter. The brunette hadn’t noticed her yet but it surely wouldn’t take long until that changed. _Perfect time to leave and go up to my room, I guess._ Wambach slowly but most of all quietly got off of her barstool, took the final sip of the beer in her hand and placed it on the bar so someone could put it in the trash later.

When she left she heard Hope’s voice talking to the bartender casually, “Whiskey on the rocks, if you may be so kind.” “That’s the go-to for a hard day, am I right?”, the barkeeper asked curiously. _Used to be her go-to everyday. If you only knew, boy._ “There were some rough minutes but overall it’s not been as shitty as you might think”, the ex-keeper replied before taking a sip out of the quickly arranged drink. There was just something about miserable women that drew Abby to them, so she decided to eavesdrop a little longer from a reasonable distance out of sight. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be famous and have everyone want your picture and autograph. Must be exhausting, I guess.” A shy laughter escaped Hope’s mouth before she explained, “Women’s soccer really isn’t that popular so most of the time that isn’t a problem. I used to enjoy it a lot back then but as retired athlete who does all the reporting during the matches it’s definitely less shiny and exciting. That’s what drags you down at the end of the day.”

_She has a point there._ Two athletes like Solo and Wambach with their stature and such ever-growing egos couldn’t find healthy ways to deal with retirement, at least most of them didn’t before fucking a lot of stuff up publicly. _Bad press is press too, you know._ “Not that soccer’s ever been glamorous at all but retirement is pretty bad”, Abby interrupted their conversation on purpose standing just a few steps behind her former teammate. Without a second thought the brunette turned around on her barstool to face Wambach. To the forward’s astonishment she wore a smile instead of her usual grumpy expression. “I’m glad they didn’t kick you out like they did with me. You’d have lost your mind”, Hope alleged as Abby moved a few inches closer, still standing without any intention to sit down. “I agree because I’d have burned their houses down. I only got lucky because I kept my mouth shut, unlike the world’s best goalkeeper.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said about me in a damn long time. Thank you”, was the only response Hope had in store, then swiftly turned back to the bartender to order her second whiskey. _Is she restraining herself? Didn’t know she could even do that._ “No tit-for-tat response? Gosh, you must be really mad at me. Why?”, Abby wondered as she leaned her side against the counter so she could look at Solo’s face to understand what was on her mind. “Even though I hate to admit it, the problem isn’t you but me”, the ex-goalie answered and put her hand on Wambach’s arm which laid on the counter in front of her, “But I guess I should be going to bed after those two glasses. Thanks for stopping by to chat, Abs.”

Actually Abby could’ve said goodbye and gone up to her hotel room where her wife was already fast asleep but there were so many things in the back of her mind that she wanted to talk to Hope about. This could be her last chance to voice them since the two athletes didn’t meet except for very rarely occurring events. Solo moved her hand from the ex-forwards arm and out of reflex Abby grabbed it so she wouldn’t leave. “This may be my last chance to talk to you for years so please stay”, she begged with puppy eyes that usually made Hope accept every request.

“Why should I stay? Do you know how often you gave me this look and got me in trouble afterwards?”, the brunette reminded her, not pulling her hand back even though she could have done so easily. “You’re not going to leave because you hate me for doing exactly that back in 2015”, the blonde guessed with a serious tone in her voice that made Hope speechless. Her jaw dropped slightly, leaving her mouth open but she clearly couldn’t utter any words. “Don’t go and proof me right. I don’t want to know that leaving your room that night was the correct choice. I’d prefer to be the idiot that left you to go back to her broken marriage and get divorced shortly after”, Abby continued with every ounce of confidence left in her nervous body. Hope swallowed heavily, then found enough strength to respond, “Don’t make me regret this or I’ll turn your life into a living hell, Wambach.”  
______________________________

**Hope’s POV**

They’ve been walking through the streets of Lyon for about half an hour, mostly in silence because it was difficult to figure out where to start. “I’ve had worse walks of shame. You’re actually pretty nice not to talk to”, Hope complimented her companion’s inability to discuss serious topics but she couldn’t keep a sad expression. As soon as she stopped walking and saw Abby turning around to check on her, a smile spread across Solo’s face and it just wouldn’t stop.

The blonde tilted her head to the side and sighed loudly, “I just can’t find the right words to begin with…” Hope interrupted her, moving closer to the tall woman and looking directly into her eyes, “Why don’t you start by saying that you’re sorry for everything but you hope my life’s good and I’m happy?” A sad smirk followed by an honest “Because I’m not a liar” was all the former goalkeeper got in response.

“Means you’d like to hear about how sad and broken I am?” Abby thought about this question for some seconds, then replied, “You’re not wrong and I know that’s not a nice thing to say but it’s true. I don’t want to hear about your happy life because neither is mine truly joyful nor am I playing even the smallest part in yours.” For the second time this night Hope’s jaw dropped and she was searching desperately for any words to hit back. _Can we go back to puppy eyes because they didn’t make my heart bleed out._ There was a terrible sadness in Wambach’s face that felt like one of Hope’s bones was breaking every time she looked at her. “Are you mad at me for saying those things or are you thinking of a good reply? I can’t tell from the skeptical frown on your face”, the former attacker wondered jokingly.

Nobody really knew what to say so Hope decided to continue their stroll around town and signaled the opposing woman to follow, which she gladly did. They had passed approximately five lampposts until Solo answered with her eyes focused solely on the sidewalk in front of her, “Lately I haven’t been mad at you very often. Sorry for ruining your expectations.” “How come? I was certain you’d never stop hating me after this crucial last night in 2015.” Hope smiled and stopped to look at the company she kept right now, explaining without hesitation, “You always thought I was mad whenever you left because I hated being alone, sleeping alone in the hotel room or going to team dinner on my own while everyone was watching my entrance. What I really failed to tell you is that none of those things mattered much. What killed me was that whenever you left me, especially during this last night, it gave me the impression that my heart wasn’t a comfortable place for you. That sucked because you felt like home to me every damn time.”

“I wasn’t aware of that at all. But… both of us were married back then”, Abby recalled, clearly trying to justify her action to herself. “Yeah but Sarah hated you for all the pain you’d caused her. See, I can’t blame you for not looking into your crystal ball to find out that I would’ve gotten a divorce for you. Huffman just isn’t a good excuse for leaving”, Hope said with a shaky voice but felt free afterwards because she had wanted to set the record straight for a long time now. It wasn’t hard to tell that those words hit home, so Solo added, “Marriages are tough and I wish you were still happy. I don’t like Glennon but it’s fine. I didn’t mean to interrupt your peace. I didn’t even come to the Together Live event to cause any trouble. Fights come naturally to me, you know that.”

They stood in the middle of two streetlamps, covering each other in the shadow of their own silhouette. In the blink of an eye, Abby came close enough that Hope was able to hear her breathing despite the cars on the road nearby. “I’ll always leave because I’m a moron”, Wambach confessed with a sad look on her face. “And I won’t stop waiting for your return because you’re my favorite moron.” She felt Abby’s hand on her lower back, pulling her against the tall one’s chest until their lips locked out of habit. An odd familiarity overcame the ex-goalie as she lustfully forced the kiss to last by resting her head on the blonde’s neck to keep her close. She didn’t seem to mind because a smile graced her face as they let go of each other after a minute.

_Now I’m fucked, just like Abby once her wife gets one whiff of this. What the hell’s wrong with you, Solo? Why can’t you keep anything simple?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading through the first two chapters! I hope you enjoyed it.  
Please leave kudos, comments, subscriptions and every feedback you'd like.  
Lots of love <3


	3. Whistleblowers Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunate meetings lead to unfortunate feelings...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Do you know what's worth fighting for  
When it's not worth dying for?  
Does it take your breath away  
And you feel yourself suffocating  
Does the pain weigh out the pride?”

**Hope’s POV**

_I really want to sleep now. Head, please shut up and let me rest!_ Solo’s mind was wandering, filled with thoughts about her kiss with Abby only two hours ago. Her lips were still longing for another taste of Wambach. She’d have loved to go down the hallway, knock on Abby’s door and stay with her for the rest of the night, but of course that wasn’t possible. The tall ex-forward was married and her wife was most likely lying next to her tonight and their kids were sleeping peacefully in their suite across the hall. A quiet, lovely picturesque family who would head back home in a few days to continue their perfect lives. The thought of it almost made Hope gag. She knew too much about her former teammate to dig all of this happy family bullshit, but she didn’t want to intervene their Instagram and mommy-blog charade. _I WANT TO SLEEP!_ She rolled onto her other side and kept her eyes shut as tightly as possible to force herself to find some rest. It didn’t work, of course, and that made her so angry, she even hit the empty pillow next to her head, but it didn’t help. She used to have her anger issues under control but right now it overwhelmed her again.

{Abby GOAT: 3:25 am} You up?

Hope saw the message coming up on her vibrating iPhone but didn’t want to reply at first. She pressed her face into the pillow, trying to put life on hold for a moment. _Don’t bother me now. It’s complicated enough without more conversation._ No matter how often she repeated this in her head, the urge to respond was stronger and won. She really wanted to talk to her ex-teammate, no matter the consequences.

{Hope S.: 3:27 am} Unfortunately :(  
{Abby GOAT: 3:28 am} Ditto :(  
{Hope S.: 3:29 am} We’re messed up  
{Abby GOAT: 3:30 am} Wanna hang like really messy people together?  
Solo let her head sink back onto the bed and thought about the offer briefly. There wasn’t anything she wanted more than to spend time with Abby now, but it felt like she had been involved in a lot of cheating today already. Their inappropriate kiss was a major betrayal to Wambach’s wife Glennon and Hope didn’t want to cause even more trouble. Of course, she was used to being an offender because of her big mouth but tonight she felt truly miserable for what she had done with her former colleague.  
{Hope S.: 3:36 am} Haven’t we caused enough havoc for a day?  
{Abby GOAT: 3:37 am} I wanna talk about it. No more causing drama. Promise!  
{Hope S.: 3:38 am} We know what happens if we talk. Bad idea.  
{Abby GOAT: 3:39 am} You’re in 321, right? I’m coming over.  
{Hope S.: 3:39 am} No! We can’t talk now!

The forward didn’t reply so Hope knew she was about to see her face once again tonight. Her heart was pounding, making her jump out of the hotel bed immediately. _Why is she like that? I need a fucking break from those crazy people. I won’t open the door. That’s it. No need to worry about it. She can’t come in if I don’t let her._ Next thing she heard was a knock on the wooden hotel door followed by unsettling silence. Solo’s stomach twisted from one side to the other and ultimately dropped when she slightly opened the door to peek outside into the hall. Abby stood there, leaning in the doorframe with the casual coolness only she could bring. “Know what I just remembered? On the day after we had won the World Cup in 2015, before all of us got off the plane to be greeted by some journalists, I was completely upset about my hair. It kept falling down the side of my face and I freaked out for ten minutes straight. Then you came over to my seat, touched my cheek with one hand and fixed the strand with the other, not saying a single word.” Yes, Hope remembered it so vividly, almost as if she felt Abby’s hair between her fingers still.

Before she could lose herself even further in this memory, she pulled Abby into the room and closed the door to make sure they were as far away from the public eye as possible. “Uh, I like bossy Hope”, Wambach said with a snarl, taking her opposite’s hands and leading her to the cozy looking bed. “We’re not gonna hook up. Get that idea out of your mind right away or you have to leave again. I’m done being your bitch.” _Yeah, remember what your therapist said about self-discipline? Of course you don’t,_ the brunette thought to herself, clearly shocked by her own choice of words. Unlike the former goalie, her teammate looked calm and unaffected.

“I’m not mad at you and I’ve never been. Know why?”, Abby asked rhetorically while intertwining Hope’s fingers with hers, then continued in a confident tone, “It didn’t matter how many times you’ve tried to follow me secretly while I was fully aware of your presence; neither did it change anything that you left me looking like an idiot back then in Seattle. I’ll always be the bad one in our relationship; I know that and I’m gladly taking the blame if it helps to soothe your pain.” Solo kept her eyes on their hands which clung tightly to each other, knowing their shared time was precious but limited.

_You wouldn’t sneak away from your loving wife for someone you hate,_ the goalie’s mind replayed in Abby’s voice from when they met at the Together Live event two years ago. _The things we do, will come and run us down. I promise. I didn’t know how right I was going to be with that dare._ The brunette’s thoughts came to a close when Wambach’s eyes appeared right in front of her face. “Are you alright?”, the forward asked obviously concerned. The goalkeeper shook her head. “No, I’m not. How could I be fine with you being married to anyone but me… again. For the fucking second time? Why the hell are you doing this to me?” Her voice wasn’t shaky or whiny. Her lips even formed a small grin. “Because you’re always the sexiest when you’re angry.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying something like this while your wife is lying only a few rooms away, patiently waiting for your return.” “I can’t believe I have a wife while you’re lying here as beautiful as you are.” Hope couldn’t help but smile. “Why are you always choosing someone over me?” Abby rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling, letting out a deep sigh. “No, seriously. Why?”, Hope kept asking while placing her hand on her mate’s chest. “Honestly?” Solo nodded because she wanted to get an answer for once. “Because we both know you’d lose your interest in me if we were in a relationship.”

Maybe Abby wasn’t all wrong. Neither completely right of course, but it always seemed to work that way for the two of them. Whenever they were single or about to be single again, the other one disappeared for a while. Almost as if they could only handle each other as an affair. This thought hurt a little too much for Solo’s taste, so she leaned in and kissed the former teammate longingly. Abby instantly kissed her back, then rolled on top of the brunette. “We won’t do that right now. Contain yourself, Abs”, Hope ordered half-heartedly, already moaning ecstatically as her opposite kissed down from her jaw to her shoulder, letting go just before she had pulled the shirt aside a little too much. “Alright, I obey. But I can’t go without leaving a mark”, Wambach explained before giving Hope a huge love bite on the neck. It felt so familiar to feel loved by Abby. Like everything went back to normal, to the good old days. For once neither of them cared about tomorrow or labeling their relationship status.

_On the next morning in their hotel in Lyon, France_ **(Abby’s POV)**

“Can we take a picture with you?”, a young man with his little daughter on the arm wanted to know. “Yes, of course”, Abby agreed and waited for the guy to get his camera to work. In the meantime, she checked out Hope who stood on the other side of the sidewalk in front of the hotel signing autographs for a group of teenagers wearing the USA’s team jersey. Then the fan next to Wambach said ‘cheese’ and she smiled widely for the picture. Now that they were done, she casually strolled over to Solo, allegedly writing autographs as well.

“See who’s coming over for a chitchat, guys. You might not recall her on the field but she used to be a forward back in the days”, the goalie joked and wrapped one arm around Abby’s shoulders, pulling her closer for a fan who wanted to take a photo of the two legends. “Yeah, I’m the one nobody remembers. And I love my kind teammates”, Abby replied, knowing the word love would make Hope’s heart jump. She could see it in her cute eyes. They blinked heavily after her ironic compliment.

After they had finished their fan service, the two women met in the restroom of the hotel lobby, mostly because Abby signaled her mate to join her with a wink before leaving the entry hall. “I knew you wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye properly”, Solo said grinning. “You caught me, pretty one.” The tall woman pulled Solo in for a tender kiss. Hope hugged her tightly as if she didn’t want to let go ever again.

They stood there for a while, keeping their lips away from each other to not make saying goodbye even harder. It didn’t work but at least they tried. “Will we meet again, or do I have to walk past you on the streets, pretending we haven’t had the greatest time of our lives way too many times?” Hope’s voice was shaking for the first time in years, breaking Wambach’s heart with ease. “I have to figure some things out, but I’ll call you soon.” “Promise?” Abby nodded, unable to look at the former goalkeeper because it’d have made her cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading through this chapter!  
Please leave kudos, comments, subscriptions and every feedback you'd like.  
Lots of love and stay safe <3


	4. Courageous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you spend your days when you are unable to meet the person you want to see the most?  
Our two favorite WoSo legends will teach you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Inside this olive skin are paper thin  
Illusions that I'm tougher than I am  
And I'm guarded, castle walls from all the falls  
And break up calls and never should have beens
> 
> But don't go pushing too hard  
I'm not so easy to manipulate”

**Hope’s POV**

Sitting on her front porch in a vintage rocking chair, Hope reread her text exchange with Abby from the past week in which they hadn’t seen each other. Out of the blue, Abby had started sending her cute and sometimes wise pictures of quotes she came across while randomly browsing social media.

It began with “everything you’re running away from is in your head” as illuminated letters on a brick wall at night. Later on, those quotes carried less hidden messages like “I’m the book you always opened but you never read” printed on linen and hung up to dry. Solo’s replies basically were something like “she was just my kind of crazy” in reddish handwriting because she liked those simple ones best.

The last one Abby sent yesterday was “she deserves the world and I plan on giving it to her” on a page of a book with all other words blacked out. This somehow touched Hope on a deeper level, giving her goosebumps whenever she looked at the picture. She hadn’t replied yet, thinking about something appropriate to send in return but nothing seemed good enough. Whenever she found a quote with a suitably hidden message, the setup didn’t look as she imagined it to be and vice versa. Solo kept rocking in her chair, listening to the sound of birds chirping from the trees nearby. A lovely serenade but it didn’t solve her message problem.

It’d already been more than twelve hours since she had received Abs’ text, making her feel uncomfortable for taking too long to reply to what was seemingly a nice quote without any serious meaning behind it. Still Hope couldn’t get herself to return just anything nice because whenever she had spoken to Abby after her retirement, the blonde’s words sounded well thought out. She really wanted to leave the same impression for once. Due to a lack of ideas, she typed “I love you quotes” into google and looked through the pictures eagerly.

Most of the quotes weren’t very fitting but suddenly she stopped scrolling to take a closer look at a very simple picture. A pitch-black background carrying the letters “if we don’t talk ever again, remember that I loved you”. It made her heart jump in excitement for this line sounded exactly like something she’d have said on a very confident and good-state-of-mind day. Without any second thoughts, she saved the photo on her mobile and sent it Abby’s way, wearing a big smile on her face because she had successfully accomplished her private mission.

______________________________

**Abby’s POV**

She sat at the kitchen table with her stepdaughter Tish, discussing feminism in current society for the third time this week, when her phone beeped. The kid kept rambling on while Abby took a quick look at the lit screen to check who had sent a message this time. When she read Hope’s name, her heart skipped what felt like ten beats and nearly made her throw up because she was sure the brown-haired athlete wouldn’t reply anymore.

“Who texted you? Chase?”, Tish asked, moving her chair to catch a glimpse of the message. Abby shook her head, then immediately showed her little daughter the phone with the opened picture quote from Solo. Tishy, how Abs called her, carefully read it, then wondered with the innocence of a child, “Does she want to send this to her crush and is asking for your opinion because I think it’s beautiful. So, she has a new crush?” “Yeah, it’s something like that. I bet she has a new crush, definitely. I mean, she’s pretty and smart. Just like you, Tishy”, Abby responded with a proud grin and locked her mobile’s screen again.

“I’m glad she’s happy. Hope was really nice when we met her and I like her. Have you seen her beautiful eyes? They’re perfect. What was her husband like?” A lot of questions for a tiny human but at least she was honest and didn’t hold back. Abby thought about it for a moment, then answered, “Jerramy is a nice guy. He used to play American football for the Seahawks and later on for Tampa Bay. I met him a couple of times back when Hope and I were on the national team and he seemed natural and genuine.”  
Tish clearly wasn’t done asking questions which Abby knew because of her serious frown. After some minutes in deep thought while eating her homemade tacos, she fired again, “How long were you teammates?” That was a tough one and the forward had to count back in her head. “I guess it’s been 14 years on the national team and only one year for Washington Freedom.” Tish’s eyes grew wide as she realized, “14 years? That’s all my life. You must be good friends after such a long time. I’m glad she’s a good person because I’ll have to kill her if she hurts you.” Her serious face changed into a smile and both women laughed about the not so serious death threat. The teenager was way too clever for her age and Abby liked it a lot. Tish got her dark humor while everyone else in the house thought she was some kind of psychopath.

Once they were done having dinner, Abby went outside for a jog. She felt the need to clear her head and gather enough strength to figure things out finally. Since her first training sessions as semi-professional soccer player, she hated running. It dragged her down physically but later in her career she understood that it made her feel emotionally stable and so she continued doing it regularly even after her retirement. 40 minutes later, Abby came by her favorite tree-lined road and took a break on one of the various benches underneath.

While taking long breaths, she pulled out her phone and opened Hope’s chat history. _If we don’t talk ever again, remember that I loved you,_ echoed in her mind in the famous brunette’s voice as her eyes kept drifting towards the latest picture quote. “I’ll always remember…”, she whispered to herself, smoothing a strand of her hair back.

______________________________

**Hope’s POV**

A beeping mobile phone caught Solo’s attention while she was relaxing on her large sofa. She rolled over to grab it from the small table in front of her.

{Abby GOAT: 10:22 pm} I like how much your flirting has improved over time.  
{Hope S.: 10:23 pm} Thank you. I’m glad it’s showing.  
{Abby GOAT: 10:25 pm} How long did you have to train to finally impress me?  
{Hope S.: 10:26 pm} I didn’t. I used to hold back so you wouldn’t feel intimidated.  
{Abby GOAT: 10:27 pm} You wish!  
Hope laughed so loud, one of her huge dogs came running over to comfort her. She cuddled him and kissed his head before replying.  
{Hope S.: 10:31 pm} You know I could easily outshine you. I could be your worst nightmare.  
{Abby GOAT: 10:32 pm} More like a cute daydream, eh?  
{Hope S.: 10:34 pm} Doesn’t sound familiar. Who are you talking about?  
{Abby GOAT: 10:37 pm} You’ll get to meet her on our wedding day. Be prepared!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this rather short chapter!  
I hope you enjoyed the peaceful time without any drama because it won't last long.  
Please consider leaving kudos, subscriptions and comments to improve the experience for all of us!
> 
> Have a great week, friends!


	5. Just Undiscovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things have to change in order for people to feel alive again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “What if we could?  
Where would we go?  
If it felt right  
Would you want me to know  
I would meet you  
Would you meet me
> 
> It's like a last chance  
For a first dance”

**Abby’s POV**

Wambach had received an invitation card in the mail this morning. It contained the address to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando which wasn’t far from where Abby lived with her wife and kids. On the back of the card, someone had written “I hope you never hesitate to wonder why – 8 p.m.”. The invitation seemed legit but a little too luxurious for Abs’ taste. She wasn’t glamorous and up for spa visits and mani-pedi all day. Luckily, everybody’s best friend Google gave her some information on the gigantic hotel complex. The Ritz-Carlton Orlando was home to eleven restaurants, had its own 18-hole golf course, offered 582 expensively designed rooms and a 40000-squarefoot spa. _That sure as hell is a place for the true great pretenders of this world…_

Of course she came, obviously not practicing what she preached. A car was waiting outside of Wambach’s and Doyle’s house at 6:45 pm sharp. No honking, no sign of impatience from the suited-up driver. He didn’t even look Abby’s way when she left the front porch in her most expensive tuxedo with a black bow-tie and a damn tight blazer. As she got inside the grey Range Rover Velar, the driver welcomed her and added, “Please help yourself with the champagne to your right if you want to”. She eyed a big wooden box carrying 50-year-old Balvenie scotch and Don Pérignon Rosé, both being the most expensive bottles of their kind. “This is ridiculous, really.” The driver smirked, “My client told me you’d say that.” Abby gave him a serious look and replied, “Some people just know you too well, it seems.”

The rest of the drive everything was quiet. Not a single word was spoken in the car, very much to Wambach’s benefit because her nerves wore paper thin with every second passing. When she arrived at the Ritz-Carlton, it looked even more out of her league than expected. The car stopped right in front of the entrance and she thanked the nice driver before stepping outside. The concierge opened the doors to the entrance hall, greeting her with a friendly, “Good evening, Mrs. Wambach. Please go down the path left of the reception desk. My colleague will then guide you to your host.” “Thank you”, Abby said and followed his advice while replaying the word host in her mind over and over again. A host. My host. This is awkward.

She had to follow some nicely-dressed staff to get to the balcony of the hotel’s Lobby Lounge, where the smell of freshly baked goods and delicious fruit salads filled the air. The interior was mostly kept in soft yellow and bright grey colors, making the high-ceiling room look calm. The waiter led her through a huge glass door outside to a lit firepit surrounded by a large L-shaped sofa with fluffy cushions. “Your host suggested a gin tonic as starter. Is this order to your liking, ma’am?” A little overwhelmed, Abs turned around to face the staff member and nodded, unable to think of any alternative she’d have liked better in this moment.

A light breeze blew past the balcony, cooling the hot summer air enough to enjoy nightfall. The tall soccer star stroked back a strand of hair shortly before she heard footsteps approaching from behind, the ones which gave her chills every time. She tucked her hands in the pockets of her tight, black suit pants, then dared to look at the person behind her finally. “Hello beautiful”, the trained, well-tanned ex-goalie welcomed her with a bright smile while Abby’s heart dropped to the floor. Hope wore dark-blue jeans which slightly covered her pitch-black high heels and a super tight turquoise strappy top covered by an unbuttoned, navy-blue suit jacket. Completely starstruck Abby muttered, “Hello pretty woman.” They stood there, looking at each other in what seemed to be a mixture of disbelief and desire. Then Solo gathered her strength and pointed to the couch, offering with a shaky voice, “Please… be my guest.”

She obeyed and waited for the host to do the same. There wasn’t much space between them as they kept admiring each other while the waiter served two gin tonics. “The table is set whenever you’re ready to head inside later this evening, ma’am.” “We’ll enjoy the sunset a little while longer. Thank you”, Solo said in her nice-girl voice which Abby hadn’t heard very often during their time as teammates. Once they were on their own again, Hope raised her glass, waiting for the guest to do the same, then stated speech-like, “This one is to you, Mary Abigail Wambach. Greatest of all time athlete, motivational speaker, women’s rights activist and calm to my storm.” They clinked glasses and Abby received a seductive look before they took their first sips.

“Tell me… what am I doing here and whose bank account did you raid to pay for these cocktails and the driver?”, Wambach wondered with a smile of gratitude because her heart felt so full during this moment. “Don’t you remember how we dreamed about living in the most expensive hotel suites after retiring from soccer? We talked about it so often during the 2015 World Cup and now it came to my mind again…”, Solo explained while taking another sip, “Don’t worry about the money by the way. The only person I robbed was my ex-husband and we both know he won’t even notice.” Abby relaxed after knowing about the money’s source, leaned back and crossed her muscular legs that nearly ripped the pants. Hope definitely saw her huge muscles but tried to look away to clear her head. 

Abs leaned forward, put her hand on Hope’s thigh and asked, “You wanna tell me why you brought me here? Simply for old times’ sake? I mean, I appreciate that you haven’t forgotten about it but… care to tell me the real reason?” The brunette put her hand on Abby’s, giving her a slight smile and then replied softly, “I want to make you an offer that you can but probably won’t refuse.” Wambach didn’t really know what her teammate implied so she simply said “Go on, I’m listening”. Solo cleared her throat and continued, “We’ve both been a drag for each other a couple of times, maybe more times than we actually helped each other. Still I believe we deserve a fucking chance, only one shot at something I’ve been thinking about ever since our first night. Yes, this is a very selfish act and none of our righteous friends or family members would approve of it but at this point I just don’t care anymore. Well, I probably never cared if I remember correctly.”

Abby laughed about Solo’s weird attempt to explain her intentions but she kind of understood them. After being teammates for many years, friends for the lack of better options and lovers for all the days and nights in between, there wasn’t anything bad they hadn’t done before. “See, I know it sounds crazy and maybe I am totally out of my mind but how many other chances will I get with you? Yeah, not even one. You’ll disappear back to your happy family and I’ll go back to making Jerramy’s life as miserable as I can. Back to normal, so to speak. I just…” _Gosh, how I don’t want to go back to normal!_ The blonde interrupted her monologue which serenaded so well with her own state of mind, to answer, “I get it. I’m in. Don’t break your tongue explaining us to me. I’ve been there all the way. You’re right.”

Just as Hope realized her opposite had agreed to her offer, Abby dragged her chin close enough to give her two tender pecks on the lips. “One more. Don’t leave me starving”, Solo begged successfully and grabbed Abby’s neck as the tall woman stood up and leaned over her ex-teammate to kiss her once more. “You have a room rented here? Which number?”, Wambach asked eagerly, totally ready to carry her lover into any bed available. “Easy, Abs. We’re going to behave like two ordinary people in love on vacation. Not like animals.” “As far as I remember, you were a sucker for this side of me”, Abby recalled while taking the place right next to her favorite goalkeeper. “Gosh, I’ve missed hearing your miserable banter. And this scent… I’ve been longing for it every night”, Solo confessed openly with her head resting on her opposite’s strong shoulder.

_Two hours later at the hotel’s restaurant Primo_ **(Hope’s POV)**

Abby stole a so-called pan seared red-snapper from Solo’s plate because she had finished her own dish, marinated chicken, some minutes ago. Chewing it down with delight on her face, she spoke with her mouth full, “You have impeccable taste, baby.” Hope almost spit out her sip of white wine, then tried to recover from the previous words by urging, “Pardon me?” Wambach arched one brow, unsure how to react properly. “Nevermind.” The retired goalie leaned forward, giving Abby a furious look and saying slowly but firmly, “Repeat it now.” A little frightened, the tall blonde followed the order, continuing with her meal though, “I just think you have impeccable taste, baby.” A huge smile came up on Solo’s well-tanned face. “Glad you think so for once. Plus, I like the nickname. It sounds genuine coming from you tonight.”  


Wambach gave her opposite a serious look, placed her cutlery next to the plate and responded to the last comment distinctly, “I know I’ve kept you at distance and it’s been painful. Also I didn’t call you for two weeks which means I basically left you hanging for what must’ve been the sixtieth time. But I’d truly love to call you baby regularly during our morning runs which I’ll only be joining to spend even more time with my favorite human. You deserve a fucking nice house for your amazing dogs, the love of your life and your gorgeous self; not a damn golden cage like the one Jerramy gave you…” Hope listened desirously to every word Abby said and couldn’t look away from her determined looking eyes, as the tall woman continued, “…and I think you need a proper car to keep you safe so whenever you’re speeding down the highway because you had to go grocery shopping, which you hate so much, you don’t hurt yourself. Gosh, you should have had some kids by now because you’ve wanted to have a big family since you were a child yourself. What I’m meaning to say is… I remember every single line you’ve ever said while I was around. Why? Well, probably because I dreamed of providing for you and making sure all of it comes true.”  


The brunette couldn’t stop staring with her jaw dropping slightly with every word Abby said. She confessed everything the ex-goalie had always hoped to hear from her. She grabbed Wambach’s hand on the table and lifted it over, giving it a soft kiss. Then she tried to breathe slowly, eventually gathering enough strength to confess some things herself. “I’m a bit shocked by your words, in a good way, and… I’m not sure I can put my thoughts into proper sentences now but… I’ll try.” Abby gave her a brief but warm smile, so she kept talking. “I’m fully aware that you have plenty of reasons not to call me or even think about me at all. But you do. I can feel it every time we’re apart. So I invited you here, not knowing if you would show up, with all the hope I have left in my aging bones. I want… no, I need you to stay in this hotel by my side for three days. I chose this amount of time because every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. So if you want to, we can play happy for two and end it all on the third one. It’s just… I need you to experience this with me for once. Then you’re free to return to your wife and kids. I won’t bother you anymore. Please just give me this time to prove you wrong.”  


Hope’s hand was shaking but her opposite immediately gave it a firm squeeze to comfort her. “If I stay for three days, I need both of us to be our true selves. No lies or games. You sure we can do that?”, she asked with a smirk, already well aware what the answer would be…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the fifth chapter!  
Please consider leaving kudos, subscriptions and comments to improve the experience for all of us!
> 
> Lots of love <3


	6. Those Eyes Add Insult To Injury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “You're a beautiful butterfly  
Burned with a branding iron  
Onto my outsides, into my insides  
As a simple sign:  
To show off your ownership”

**Hope’s POV**

Solo woke to the sound of clattering cutlery. As she slowly opened her weary eyes, she saw Abby sitting on the hotel room’s balcony, eating breakfast and enjoying the lake view from their Royal Suite. It took a while for Hope to realize what she saw. In fact, she had to blink several times to get herself awake just enough to wrap her mind around the scene. The sun still carried some orange color from the sunrise earlier which warmed Hope’s body and made getting out of bed easier. “Good morning”, Solo said softly as she leaned onto the frame of the balcony’s glass door. Abby’s eyes lit up with happiness when she saw the beautiful sleepyhead. “A wonderful morning to you too, pretty stranger”, the taller one replied and wrapped her arms around Hope once she had sat down on the ex-forward’s lap. Solo, still tired from last night, leaned her head against Wambach’s and closed her eyes for a while. All she heard was the sound of birds chirping peacefully. Even Abby didn’t say anything for as long as the brunette kept her eyes closed. It was nice feeling the strong woman’s arms on her body which was still warm from bed.

A couple of minutes later, Solo felt awake enough to talk about the elephant in the room, “I didn’t expect you here this morning. It’s a nice surprise but I can’t make sense of it, though.” She referred to the agreement they had made three days ago, when Abby decided to stay on this mini vacation. Those 62 hours had ended already and Solo wasn’t quite sure what that meant for their future. Wambach took a sip from her still steaming hot coffee cup, then put it down and explained, “I’ve been awake all night, wandering the hotel’s floors and garden like a maniac, unable to rest because of all the thoughts on my mind. I kept replaying the last ten years like a movie, stopping the film every now and then to take a closer look at the details. What I realized was way less surprising than it should’ve been.”

“What did you see?”, wondered the ex-goalie and tucked some strands of her hair back to calm her nerves. “I shouldn’t be here…” Hope’s eyes widened out of fear of what was to come. “…but I am. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get myself to grab my packed bags and leave. I’ve scrolled through the pictures and texts on my phone, mentally writing a recap of the past decade. Gosh, it’s been a long time and I guess I’ve forgotten more of them than most of the people in it have ever known about it at all.”

Solo smirked and softly brushed Abby’s cheek. “What’s happened during that time? I mean, tell me about the moments that I wasn’t a part of. The private ones.” Another sip of coffee went down Abby’s throat before she continued, “My life went up and down with every win and loss on the soccer field. See, you and I have been so full of ourselves whenever this damn ball was around. Such bigheaded dorks living for those all-too-fleeting moments of fame and glory. I know, just like me, you didn’t even give a single fuck about your personal life while your career lasted. And now… look at us. We’re unable to identify love, no matter how obvious it is.”

Those words resonated very much with Hope’s memory of their glory days. Nothing would stop them, not even leading miserable lives off of the field. _We wrecked more homes than most people own all their life._ Solo drank the last sip of her opposite’s cup to gain enough courage to reply, “Yes, the two of us fucked with a lot of people’s heads, and god knows not only their heads, but everybody on the team had his crazy habits to deal with success. We chose the rebel way, became the homewreckers and glorified men- and women-eating vamps. I think we both are more than capable of taking the blame for it. What’s done is done.”

“I totally agree. We deserved the blame and, to be honest, we never really gave a damn because we got away with only a few bruises and scratches usually. That’s not what I meant. Take a look around. We’ve said and done so many morally questionable things and it all came down to us wrecking our own homes. But honey, I’ve felt great because of the new house I’ve bought and the marriage I’ve started. There seemed to be some hope left for me after all. This pun was intended actually. As long as there’s Hope, there can’t be any hope…”

In this moment, Solo’s heart dropped to the ground and she froze completely. Was this Wambach’s gentlewoman way of leaving with a bang? Suddenly the blonde made a weird move to grab her own hand which held Hope’s back all the time. As her second hand moved back into the goalkeeper’s sight, it placed something on the table in front of them. Looking closer, it seemed to be her wedding ring. “What are you doing?”, Solo asked nervously. “I’m done… I’m so fucking done lying to myself and everyone I know.” The brunette’s mind didn’t get what was happening and so she looked at Abby in shock, not able to react in any other way. Then Wambach added confidently, “I wanna fall with grace and to do that, I have to live up to the courage I preach ever so often.”

“What… Abby, what are you…”, the ex-goalie stammered, afraid of what was next. Her hands were shaking, so Wambach took one and placed it on her grey shirt, right above her heart. “When I arrived at this hotel, you gave us three days and called them beginning, middle and end. I’d like to refer to them as only the beginning if that’s alright with you. Can we do that? Will you do this with me?” Hope’s whole body began to tremble in every limb and a few seconds later, tears streamed down her face. “No, don’t cry. You know I can’t take it.” The brunette’s face brightened up even though the tears kept coming. “If I’m not mistaken, you just begged to see my shitty crying face way more often so you better get used to it”, Solo stated while Wambach tried to keep herself from joining in with joyful tears.

_Three days later in Naples, Florida_ **(Abby’s POV)**

Abby sat on the driver’s seat in front of her shared home with Glennon, keeping a straight face while staring out of the window. The house looked so peaceful. That would change once she went inside and talked to her wife. A gruesome image of how the situation might escalate formed in her head and kept her from exiting the vehicle. On the passenger seat, Hope felt a little more comfortable than Abby for obvious reasons. She wasn’t the one who had to speak to her soon-to-be ex-wife today. Solo repeatedly offered to enter the house with Wambach just in case she would need moral support during the heavy conversation, but Abby thankfully declined. It wasn’t the right time to introduce still-wife and future significant other. Well, there would never be a perfect time for that obviously but it was safe to say that today would’ve been the worst.

“I’m saying this one last time: You don’t have to go inside if you don’t want to. It’s possible to call or even video-call her and have this discussion. Let’s be honest, we could go and hide from the world for a while if that’s what you want. We’re free and I can’t stand seeing you like this”, Hope stated expressively because she didn’t like the idea of what was to come. She had made that very clear last night when the two of them roleplayed potential situations for Abby meeting Glen to tell her she was going to file for divorce. “There’s no other way to do this now. She’s still my wife and she has no clue about what’s going to hit her. I can’t just facetime to get an easy way out of this mess.” Solo nodded halfheartedly, not agreeing but mostly understanding Abby’s reasons. “See, I’ve done this once so at least I’m kind of aware of how terrible the conversation will go.” Hope smiled a little and looked at Abs, joking, “I’ve always adored your positive thinking but that’s a little far-fetched, isn’t it? Last time you broke up with Sarah Huffman, a grown-up soccer player who could’ve easily broken some bones in your body in response to bad news. I’m quite confident a Christian mommy-blogger isn’t capable to threaten your life. That’s a plus.”

For whatever reason, this weird way of seeing it made Abby laugh. She leaned over to Hope’s seat, grabbed the brunette’s chin and pulled her face over. Just before their lips locked, Wambach said, “There isn’t anything more important than you on my pro-divorce side of the imaginary chart. Not even one single thing worth noting. I’m going in for myself and I’m sure as hell coming out for you. Now let me vow this: If you ever decide to split from me, I’ll hunt you all over this planet and rip every inch of your muscular body to shreds just to let you know how much I love you.” Hope smiled seductively, not backing down because of this threat. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for 14 years. If you go inside this house and come back out just to get into this car and drive off with me, then you can count on me to never leave your side. But if you stay inside for whatever reason, know that I’ll drive this brand-new car into your fake little Florida house. You know my temper so be aware that this ain’t a lie.” Now that they’ve made their points very clear, they kissed passionately, and Abby couldn’t help but smile against Hope’s lips during the smooch.

One minute later, the g.o.a.t. left the car and walked up to what used to be her front porch. Everything looked just like when she had left six days ago, painfully bringing to her mind that she was the one thing that had changed. She pulled the keys out of her pocket, opened the door as quietly as possible and entered what already felt like her past. “Baby, is that you?”, Glennon yelled from the kitchen with an innocent tone. _I haven’t been in here for one minute and it already feels like I’m walking on eggshells. Well, I could’ve chosen the easy way but that wouldn’t prepare me for living with Solo._

“Yes, I’m back.” Abby’s voice sounded a little too shaky for someone who didn’t want to raise suspicion. To reassure herself, she turned around and took a look out of the window next to the front door. Hope sat in the car, probably changing the radio channel because her hand was on the car’s touchscreen. _Breathe in, breathe out. Do it quick, then run back to the car. Gosh, I sound like I want to kill my wife instead of having a conversation._ She immediately turned around and faced her wife when she heard her coming over from the kitchen. “Oh baby, I’ve missed you”, Doyle welcomed her much taller wife by hugging her and stretching her neck to get a kiss. Wambach reflexively was about to give her one but suddenly the smaller woman stopped and looked puzzled. “What’s that unfamiliar smell surrounding you, Abs?”

Abby’s heart began to race, and she didn’t really know how to respond properly, so she murmured, “It’s H… can we just… Glennon, can we talk please?” Doyle’s mood dropped below zero because having a talk was always serious business. They went over to the kitchen and Glen took a seat at the bar stool near the kitchen counter while Wambach grabbed a bottle of citrus water from the huge side-by-side fridge. “I’m getting worried. What’s wrong, honey? Speak to me.” It’s that thing about Glennon Doyle that always bothered Abby. Telling someone to speak to me sounded like a nice thing to say but in fact is a smart way of force. “It’s very hard to find the right words to begin with but we have to have this conversation now.”

“This is not good, is it?”, Glen asked anxiously, slowly but steadily shattering inside because everyone knew those scenes from TV. Your husband or wife went on a business trip for almost a week and came back with the famous sentence “we’ve gotta talk”. Wambach looked on the ground as she said, “No, it’s not good.” Then her wife started crying with her hand covering her uncontrollably sobbing mouth. Abby didn’t look at her but still came closer and gave her a warm embrace. She was still her wife and the woman she had chosen to stand by through good and bad times. “I need you to know, even though it’s fucking sad, that I can’t stay here with you. I’ve thought about it and there’s no way to change my mind. But I’m going to support you, Chace, Tish and Amma like I promised to do. You won’t be alone.”

Glennon knocked against Abby’s chest really hard until the tall forward let go of her. “We don’t need money. I earn my own money and I can provide for my family”, the blogger said with an angry voice, backing away from her formerly loved wife. Wambach let her have her space and tried to remain calm even though she felt the tears rising in her eyes. This situation became even more unbearable with every heavy breath taken. The blonde soccer star took a brief glimpse outside of the kitchen window and saw Hope’s silhouette, imagining she looked back. “I’m sorry, Glennon. I didn’t plan this and I’m terribly sorry that you have to go through this. I truly am.” Suddenly her wife became really quiet and just stared at the athlete. “I hate you for doing this to the kids. They love you and this will break their tiny hearts. Why couldn’t you just fuck that other woman secretly like my previous husband? It’d have spared the children of this pain.” “I’d never do to you what your ex has done. He’s not me. I’ll go now because you can’t have a proper breakdown with me still around. Everybody knows that. But please text or call me whenever you or the kids need anything. Please let them know that they can always come to me. And… know that I’m truly sorry.” Before she left the house again, she kissed her future ex-wife on the forehead and removed the house’s key from her keyring. This was the end and she wanted to make sure she’d not get tempted to return.

Her walk of shame from the house back to the car was longer than expected. One neighbor waved and yelled hello, but she simply put her sunglasses on, walked faster and basically jumped into the car to get away from the damage she had done. Wambach’s heart was still pounding when she started the engine and put the seatbelt on. Hope laid her hand on Abby’s on the gear shift and spoke calmly, “It’s gonna stop hurting one day.” The ex-forward nodded in agreement while her chest was still aching from Glennon’s hits. A well-deserved suffering after the hardship she put her estranged wife in.

“Pull over”, Solo demanded abruptly, and Abby obeyed. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, the brunette leaned over the center console and pulled her lover closer by her tight, red shirt. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you previously, but I wanted to say… I love you too.” Those words seemed to revive Wambach’s happiness. She lifted her favorite human over the car’s console with ease and embraced her tightly with no intention to ever let her go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the sixth chapter!  
Please consider leaving kudos, subscriptions and comments to improve the experience for all of us!
> 
> Lots of love and stay healthy <3


	7. What Makes A Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Hey guys, thanks for stopping by. Please be aware that I'm no native English speaker so some phrases and word constructions might sound odd to you. I hope you still get the meaning though.]
> 
> “I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a Lego house  
If things go wrong, we can knock it down  
My three words have two meanings but there's one thing on my mind  
It's all for you  
[…]  
I'm gonna paint you by numbers and colour you in  
If things go right, we can frame it and put you on a wall  
And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before  
Now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours”

** _Abby’s POV_ **

After having received more than enough financial support from the founders of their future soccer club, Solo and Wambach arranged a meeting with the famous Jason Oppenheim, owner of the Oppenheim Group real estate brokerage in Los Angeles. He agreed to fly over to Philadelphia and meet with the soccer legends in person. “I told you he wouldn’t say no to fucking greatest of all time forward Abby Wambach”, Hope mentioned as the women entered the corner restaurant Dalessandro’s in the Roxborough neighborhood. The waiter didn’t recognize them and both enjoyed the anonymity while sitting down at a table in the back of the room because it looked cozy and would help them keep their privacy for as long as possible.

“I don’t like bragging, you know that”, Abby replied as she read the laminated menu sheet, leaning closer to her lover so she’d get a good look at the options too. “Seriously?”, Solo wondered and didn’t pay any attention to the menu, “you’re the most attention-seeking human I’ve ever met. Don’t pretend you’d ever want to keep a low profile.” Her partner was right and Wambach grinned at the pretty woman. “I have every damn right to be proud of myself because everyone else doesn’t get to call Hope Solo her girlfriend.”

Just as the ex-goalie was about to respond, her eyes focused on the restaurant’s entrance. Abby turned around and quickly spotted the bald, muscular Mr. Oppenheim who came through the door. She lifted her arm and waved, yelling “over here”. He smiled as he noticed the two athletes and came to their table rather quickly. “Good morning, ladies. It’s a pleasure to meet you”, Jason greeted them and shook their hands very passionately but in a gentle way. “We’re glad you could come by so fast. Everyone spoke highly of you and I think nobody’s better suited for what we’re planning”, Wambach made a smooth intro to skip the small talk and get to the point without further ado.

After they had placed their orders, her partner in crime and life pitched Jason the idea just like the businesswoman she was, “So Mr. Oppenheim, we need you to find us a lot of land here in Philadelphia. Just enough to build between four to six luxurious houses for the future members of our women’s soccer club. Thankfully, there are six financially independent founders who will gladly pay you as much as you charge for finding and building these new homes.” The quite small guy seemed to be eager to hear more but had to down half of his glass of water because this was an enormous project.

He placed his smartphone on the table, opened his notes and said, “Alright, then let me ask some basic questions so I can get the bigger picture. How many members will we have to build houses for? What’s your definition of luxurious homes? How much are the founders willing to invest in each lot?” “As far as we know, there’ll approximately be 15 people who need to live right in Philadelphia. You’ll have to talk to them in person to make the houses suitable individually, but we figured that won’t be a problem for you. The generous founders are able to provide 1 Billion, maybe a little more if that means the process will be finished faster.”

The following discussion was long but very successful. Jason was totally excited to accept the challenge and agreed to invest a lot of time into planning it all in the upcoming weeks. They decided to build six houses in general, one closer to the Lincoln Financial Field, where the girls would play their home games, and five buildings somewhere close to the city but rather suburban so they’d be able to enjoy a lot of nature, too. He wasn’t exactly sure where there was enough free space to build so many huge houses, but he was confident about finding it soon.

_Later that day at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia_

Abby laid in the steaming hot bathtub, her eyes closed and nothing but sweet, pitch-black emptiness on her mind. A gentle knock on the door brought her back to reality. “Can I come in? I need to get my tattoo lotion.” Instead of answering, Wambach only made some affirmative sound and shut her eyes again. She heard the slightly squealing door and how Solo’s bare feet hastily walked to the sink. “By the way, I can dye your hairline tomorrow if you want to”, the brunette said as she opened the lotion and probably put some of it on her bare chest. “I’m getting older. My hair has to get used to it one day. Don’t spoil it.” She heard a cute giggle and footsteps approaching. “You’re 39, don’t act like a granny. There isn’t even one gray hair on your head so consider yourself lucky.”

Hope’s hand reached Abby’s cheek and her heart skipped a beat in anticipation of what’s to come. Eyes still closed, Wambach instinctively stretched her neck and received a soft kiss. “You still smell like that New York summer breeze”, the ex-forward said and smiled as she saw her lover. Just thinking about all those wonderful nights they’d spent together, made the butterflies in Abby’s stomach go crazy. There was never a dull moment with Solo by her side which made it kind of ridiculous that it took them so long to get together.

“Mind if I join you?” _Of course not,_ the blonde thought and pulled her girlfriend closer to taste her tongue once more. Meanwhile, Hope got rid of her sweatpants and the sports bra, revealing the body Abby loved so much. The former goalkeeper then slid into the bathtub onto Wambach, kissing her even more passionately. They didn’t mind anything, not even the water spilling over the edge of the tub. Solo’s body fitted perfectly into hers, making it impossible to resist the urge to dig deep into every inch of her skin. “You smell so good”, Abby noted as she dug her face deeply into Hope’s neck, kissing down from shoulder to the collar bone.

Solo enjoyed the fondling and whispered, “I want to sit on your face for the rest of the night.” Wambach’s heart began to race, so she carried Hope out of the bathtub and into the next room as fast as she could without slipping because their bodies and the whole floor were wet from the bathwater. Nothing would stop her now. The goalkeeper couldn’t stop laughing because of Abby’s immediate, very enthusiastic response to her words. Both women fell onto the bed, giggling and wildly kissing each other. “I can’t wait for you to sit on my face in our future home but for now this hotel room will do”, Wambach confessed, panting heavily from all the snuggling, her hand reaching between Hope’s legs already. “Oh Abs.” Solo moaned, both of her hands digging their nails deep into the forward’s back. Their bodies were so hot, the bathwater started steaming again. At least that was Abby’s explanation for the tarnished windows of their suite.

An hour later, both women laid peacefully in the bathtub again. Hope’s back against Wambach’s front. The blonde’s arms tightly wrapped around the goalie’s waist. Their eyelids were heavy, but their hearts were light, beating in sync. A few calm breaths later, Solo moved her head to look at Abby behind her and explained, “I can’t believe we’re doing this… A brand-new soccer club, our very own house from scratch… Travelling from one beautiful hotel to another, just like we joked back in our legendary soccer days. It’s so chaotic and wild… and it feels so much like us.” Abby smiled widely, then replied, “You make me feel so alive that for once I can overcome my fear of giving in to the unknown. Who’d have known that my biggest weakness would become the one thing that makes me stronger.” It didn’t matter where they were as long as they got to be together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the seventh chapter!  
Please consider leaving kudos, subscriptions and comments to improve the experience for all of us!
> 
> Lots of love and stay healthy <3  
Have a wonderful xmas time!


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